Awakening
by Graceless Uchiha
Summary: Why did you come here, Sakura-chan?" Ever since Naruto's return from his training, something had changed. "I don't know." NaruSaku.
1. Prologue

::.my random NaruSaku fic that I came up with in band one day. Yep. There's nothing more to it than this, so. Hope ya like it.::

UPDATE::I really didn't mean to delete this story, it was a complete accident, but I would like to announce that I am going to continue. We'll consider this the prologue, okay?

.::Awakening::.

..:Prologue:..

"Why did you come here, Sakura-chan?"

She remained silent, eyes averted downward at her feet as she cast around her brain for an answer. After some time, she realized there was no explanation, except for these bizarre emotions stirring inside her heart lately. Before, there was only Sasuke, and that was enough. Yet ever since Naruto's return from his training, something had changed.

"I don't know."

Stepping aside, he allowed her entrance into his small home, the cold and darkness seeping into her skin as soon as the soft click of the door sounded behind her. A shiver wracked her body, ominous and dense with anticipation. But she wasn't anticipating anything. She didn't even know why she was here.

Stepping around her, Naruto aimed for a small candle across the room, intent on lighting it to install some light and warmth in the room. However, Sakura grabbed his wrist before he could reach it, halting him where he stood.

"Don't."

"Sakura-chan…"

When his voice met her ears, her hand retreated as if burned, her emerald eyes wide and her heart pounding against its prison.

He asked a second time, "Why did you come here?"

"There's something…bothering me. Lately, it's like you…I…I can't stop…" Unable to finish, she allowed her voice to trail off into silence, clenching her slender fingers into tense fists as she struggled to find the words. "I think about you a lot, Naruto."

"I…think about you, too, Sakura-chan. I'm sure Sasuke--"

"Hush! Don't bring him up, please! I can't stand the thought…I felt so alone, Naruto. Utterly and completely alone. It was like my heart had been mutilated…But then, when you came back, something happened." Swallowing deep, calming breaths, Sakura cut off her flow of words when she knew she was just dancing around the subject, never hitting it head on like she wanted.

His brilliant blue eyes gazed into hers with a quiet questioning, yet at the same time an understanding, that terrified her. Did he know? Didn't she _want_ him to know?

"Sakura-chan, what are you--"

"When you came back," she interrupted, as if he had never spoken, "I felt whole again. I felt like everything that had been missing was suddenly returned to me. Naruto, I…You consume my thoughts. My heart…is beating furiously right now. What does it mean? What…?" Glancing downward, unable to meet his eyes, she willed the tears not to flow, squeezed her eyelids shut to prevent them from coming.

Yet when she convinced herself to look back into his sky blue eyes, her efforts failed as he murmured something close to her ear.

Before her brain registered his words, she felt her body hit the wall, and soon enough a pair of lips covered her own, chapped and sweet and _Naruto, oh Kami-sama, this is Naruto_.

And bit by bit, as her desperate hands clutched at whatever stable piece of him she could reach, the words sank in.

_That's exactly the way…_

Insistent hands grasped her waist, slid beneath her shirt and gripped her hips, pulled her closer to him than she ever thought possible as his mouth moved over hers. And she returned his passion tenfold, closed her eyes and let go of her conscious self. Inner Sakura was history as his fingertips massaged circles into her sides, rising higher with building anticipation and a tingling sensation as he focused his chakra on her skin.

_I've always felt about you_

Pushing off the wall to feel his warmth against her, she struggled to smother a low moan in her throat as the wonderful feel of his red chakra gliding over her bare skin penetrated her defenses. His hands rose higher, and she would've smacked them away for treading in places they shouldn't go, if she weren't so inebriated by the taste of him as she parted her lips.

_Sakura-chan._

It wasn't until she felt his aroused body against hers, sensed that their actions were awakening the kyuubi sealed within him, glimpsed the surrounding layer of thick red chakra, that her heart sank at the sound of a gentle knock.

In great reluctance, Naruto broke their heated battle of tongues, prying himself from her grasp and struggling to let her go as well. Another, more impatient knock echoed the first, and he sent her a quick glance before he pulled the door open.

_Don't move_.

Beyond the thick wood, she heard their sensei's troubled voice.

"Gather your things. We leave in five minutes."

From what Sakura could tell, his voice was strained, panicked, and Naruto's eyes regarded him with concern.

"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?"

"It's Sasuke."


	2. No One Else Knows

.::Awakening::.

..:Chapter One:.:No One Else Knows:..

Desperate, breathless, Naruto poured waves of chakra through his legs into his feet, propelling him from branch to branch at an accelerating speed as his eyes remained trained to a miniscule vanishing point in the distance. His ceaseless thoughts spun circles around his brain, plans of seeing Sasuke, of breaking his bones, of dragging him, kicking and screaming if need be, through Konoha's front gates.

"Naruto, slow down! Not all of us have so much chakra to waste," Sakura scolded from too many yards in his wake, her harsh voice comforting him more than anyone could tell. The familiarity of her reprimanding tone calmed his nerves somewhat, which were sparking and crackling out of control, on the brink of snapping, after so many developments in one night.

Brief flashes of the pink haired kunoichi squirming under his touch clouded his mind, distracting him from the constant chakra flow and causing his pace to drag. Her quiet utterances of his name intermingled with the distant memory of her sweet scent, not unlike fresh cherry blossoms in spring.

_Sakura-chan._

Obliging her request, he rejoined the other members of Team Kakashi, forcing his mind to stay focused on the task at hand as Kakashi began to brief them on recent incidents, involving Akatsuki and Orochimaru.

"…Our spy noticed that Orochimaru was holding a young girl captive in his hideout for no obvious reason. However, his motives were revealed when he cut off her left hand and told Kabuto to send to Akatsuki as a 'gift,' in exchange for some kind of information that wasn't revealed to our source. But that girl's a jinchuuriki, and Orochimaru's using her as bait to lure some of the Akatsuki into his territory."

Analyzing the information, Sakura nodded once and cast her eyes around in thought, dashing with grace from tree to tree without faltering. "So he's become confident that he can take them down himself. Some of them, at least. They have to know it's a trap."

"Naturally," Kakashi replied, "but sources informed the Hokage that they're accepting the challenge."

Joining the conversation, Naruto's lips pulled downward in a thoughtful frown. "Are they desperate or something? They're not dumb enough to walk right into that, right?"

Shaking his head, Kakashi held back a short sigh as he explained, "Of course not. They'll have a plan of their own. Both sides are ruthless; they don't intend to give up anything if they can help it."

Speaking up for the first time since his forced removal from his home to join the mission, Sai asked, "What is our objective?"

"The three-year mark is almost here," Kakashi answered, casting a meaningful glance at his two former students, who shared an odd glance and averted their eyes. "Orochimaru thinks he has a trump card in this fight."

"Sasuke," Naruto informed, his voice a low growl as he spoke the name.

"Right. Which suggests that Sasuke's training must be nearing completion…"

"…And that means Orochimaru's ready to take his body, and we need to be there to take it first," Sakura murmured, more to herself than to the others. Without noticing the sympathetic gaze from her former sensei's eyes, she remained silent for several extended moments, focusing on the subtle thud each of their footfalls created, and the gentle breeze masking the sound with a quiet whistling.

Before the night ended, as Kakashi advised, they would need to seek out a temporary lodging, even if it were a few sleeping bags in a clearing under the stars. Ahead of them laid roughly three days' worth of travel, overflowing with dread and insufferable anticipation, which would drain their emotions on its own, without the obvious physical strain they would undergo traveling the lengthy distance in such a short amount of time.

As luck would have it, however, a minute village existed toward the border of the Fire Country, one the three younger teammates had visited on their previous mission with Captain Yamato.

Kakashi refused to pay for an extravagant meal, to Naruto's dismay; but he relented to their staying in a hot spring after much coaxing from Naruto and Sakura.

After unceremoniously tossing his clothing aside, the blonde shinobi grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and wandered outside toward the bath, keeping a vigilant eye on Sai the entire time. His fair-skinned teammate followed suit, forgoing the towel and dipping into the steaming water, his face expressionless as the scalding liquid touched his skin.

With much more care for his own body, Naruto slipped into the merciless depths of the water, relaxing as it soothed his aching skin and loosened his muscles.

And his thoughts wandered once more, drifting over the ten-foot fence obstructing his view of the women's bath. Somewhere over that wall, Sakura would be dipping into the water and sighing in contentment to herself as the heat caressed her skin. He almost envied it.

Their surroundings lacked human life at this time of night, the peaceful silence punctuated by distant crickets singing into the night. Overhead, the skies were overcast, blocking his view of the moon and stars as he listed backward against the inner wall of the bath, his arms spread out across the stone. Closing his eyes, his mind conjured images of Sakura, floating peacefully beside him, her soft breathing lulling him to sleep.

He couldn't tell how many hours slipped past, or that sleep threatened to coerce his body into its depths, but he opened his eyes in slow increments when he heard Sai moving out of the water.

"Good night, Naruto. I'm going to sleep."

"Night," he intoned through a slight yawn, rubbing at his eyes with one hand while wondering if Sakura had gone to bed yet.

Once the light wooden screen slid closed with a soft click, his answer arrived in the form of faint whispering. "Naruto…are you still there?"

"Hm?" he asked, shifting to glance around him and determine the voice's location. When his eyes locked on a young woman with soft rosette hair standing over him, he jumped backward, surprised that she had waltzed into the men's side of the bath without a second thought.

She hadn't bothered dressing herself, either, he noted as his eyes skimmed her from head to toe.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing? You're always yelling at me for being a pervert, and here you are--"

"Shh, be quiet," she admonished as she gingerly slipped into the warm water, clutching a towel to her chest with both hands.

Continuing to shock and amaze the blonde, she moved closer through the hot liquid, tying the soaked white cloth around her so she could move her arms without hindrance. One slender finger touched his shoulder, soon accompanied by her entire hand as she gripped him for support in the deeper portion of the water.

"I didn't want to go to sleep," she admitted, studying his reaction with a curious grin. "I thought you'd still be here, so I snuck in."

Several agonizing seconds passed before Naruto caught on to her motives, his own hands wrapping around her waist and drawing her close. Through the wet towel, the heavenly sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest incited an enjoyable reaction from his body, his fingers gliding over her spine as sparks of chakra danced from the fingertips. A pleased shiver wracked her body as she leaned into him, resting her head against him as she allowed him to trace unknown designs on her skin.

Naruto couldn't remember what had prompted him to apply delicate amounts of chakra to her body like this, but she had reacted well to it before, and so he continued his ritual of burning pathways across her bared back. Feeling her tense suddenly, he ceased his movements, seeking out her eyes with a silent question in his own.

"Sakura-chan…?"

Darkened emerald met cerulean, glazed with an unfamiliar emotion that both intimidated and aroused something inside him. Dipping his head, he captured her lips in a tender, passionate kiss, the butterfly wings awareness of the demon filling his stomach as the Kyuubi drew on the heat from the exchange. It whispered things inside his head, things he should do to her, things that caused him to blush and made him want to pull away lest he lose control. But the unrestrained need in her kiss, the scrape of her fingers over his spine, rooted him to the spot as he matched her pace, licked along her bottom lip, tasted her as his tongue swept inside her mouth, and enjoyed the low, blissful sounds erupting from her throat. It took all his strength to restrain himself as her lower body conformed to his, and his hands, still stringing along bits of chakra, drew meaningful designs down her lower back, over the wonderful swell of her backside, around her upper thighs.

"Naruto," she breathed against his lips, drawing back to gulp in air. The patterns halted, his hands raking upward to rest along the curve of her hips. He'd never felt anything so intense, so overwhelming and intoxicating. _Why _hadn't he ever kissed her before?

The powerful sensations that wracked his body with hers so near scared him, just a bit, as his mind filled with images of things he wanted to do, or things the Kyuubi wanted him to do--he couldn't discern the difference.

"We should go inside," she voiced after some time of remaining in his arms, her breathing ragged and deep. "Sai might wonder what happened to you."

Naruto scoffed. "He's probably drawing or something." A soft smile tugged at his lips as he pressed a final, chaste kiss to her lips before his hands slid, albeit slowly, to his sides, releasing her. But neither of them ventured to leave the water for several long moments afterward.

::.Notes.::Well, despite my idiotic accidental deleting of the prologue/one-shot part (don't ask), chapter one is officially done! I pretty much already know how this thing's gonna end, though some of the middle details are a little fuzzy. I'll get it though. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one. Sorry if it's taken me forever to update and the chapter is über short. They'll get longer, I promise! This just happens to be all I intended for this one. Thank you to reviewers! Sorry to the ten who reviewed the first time…man, I am such a dolt. Do you maybe want to replace them with more reviews? Pretty please?


	3. Into the Dark

.:Awakening:.

..:Chapter Two:.:Into the Dark:..

A new moon and clouded nighttime sky cast the surrounding landscape into complete darkness as Kakashi announced their crossing into Sound Country. The past days' journey had been tiring and tense, the anticipation building inside the four members of Team Kakashi almost until the breaking point.

Sakura noticed Naruto sending spiteful glances in every direction, as if he expected enemies to spring out at them at any second. His on-edge behavior wasn't unwarranted, but it also served to escalate her nerves as well. They were in enemy territory, and despite their sharp sense of vision even in the darkness, they could hardly see a thing.

Swallowing thickly, Sakura inched closer to her teammates, emerald eyes gleaming with anxiety as she scanned the surroundings as well. The only audible sound she could detect was the muted thudding of footsteps, their own footsteps, and the harsh intake and exhale of breath from Naruto to her left. He led their group with a determined countenance, his fists ready at his sides to draw a weapon should the need arise. However, once he passed a casual glance in her direction, she could tell that he wanted to comfort her somehow.

To her surprise, his hand reached out and grasped hers, lacing their fingers together and drawing her closer to his side. Her breath hitched in her throat at the feel of his warm hand clutching hers, warming her own and effectively calming her nerves somewhat. With a sigh, she relaxed her shoulders a bit, though she still kept an avid watch on the neighboring darkness.

The unsettling environment proved to be affecting Sai as well, his dark, enigmatic eyes glancing over his shoulder more often than what Sakura considered normal. Kakashi, who followed behind the three younger ninja, finally noticed his comrades' disconcerted state and intervened with words of solace.

"We'll set up camp here; there's no use wandering around in the dark like this. In the morning, we're expecting Gai's team to arrive and provide support for the mission." Halting in his tracks, he turned his attention to Sai and Sakura. "You can begin securing the perimeter for now. A few traps and a proper genjutsu should do the trick."

With their new orders, Sai set off into the trees to prepare their defenses, and Sakura's hand flashed through a few symbols to begin a simple genjutsu. It would obscure their location to onlookers--not that most human beings would be able to see them in the first place. Still, they needed the extra precaution in case some of their guests decided to arrive ahead of schedule.

Once Sai returned from his task, Team Kakashi unraveled light sleeping mattresses from their packs, spreading the flimsy material over the forest floor. Kakashi took the liberty of striking up a small flame, chasing away the shadows and allowing the four to see clearly again. After Naruto volunteered to take first watch, the three shinobi clambered beneath their blankets, intent on obtaining a bit of rest.

Sakura shifted in discomfort under her thin blanket, her ears sensitive to the lack of insects chirping around her. An unobtrusive crackling sparked from the nearby fire, yet beyond the subdued flames, she could discern no other sounds. If she were honest with herself, she would rather fall asleep with crickets' arias permeating the air, or the sweet call of an owl in the overhead canopy. And she grieved the loss of Naruto's fingers intertwined with her own, sensing a chill wind sweeping through the clearing that erupted into shivers along her spine.

_Naruto…_

There had been several missions where the two had laid quite close together, her blond dobe breathing in even intervals as he slept. Yet she had remained awake, her mind marveling at their close proximity, at his lean, muscled figure sprawled out over his blanket, his eccentric mind enclosed within the blissful perimeters of sleep. She would watch him during those moments, would feel her heart stir in faint admiration for him that was perhaps growing stronger by the minute…and then she would think of Sasuke, who would chase Naruto from her thoughts without hesitation.

She wasn't thinking of Sasuke as her emerald eyes skimmed along the ground, meeting the orange of his jacket and shifting upward until they met his cerulean orbs, observing her with a bemused smile.

"Sakura-chan…" he whispered, motioning toward himself with one hand as he cast a furtive glance toward the dozing Kakashi and Sai. In satisfaction of their appearance, his mouth twitched upward into a trademark Naruto grin. 

Unable to resist the allure of warming up next to the fire, Sakura crawling from under the blanket, inching toward her teammate on her knees as she enjoyed the inviting heat of the flames drawing closer. Once she entered within his line of reach, his warm hands pulled her close to his body, settling around her waist as her head settled under his chin, breathing in the unique, fiery scent he carried. Wrapping the blanket over their shoulders, he tightened his grip on her lithe frame and sighed against her soft pink tresses, sounding as content as she felt.

His warmth surrounded her like a security blanket or a protective outer shell, his index fingers illustrating patterns into her skin with trace amounts of chakra. As always, the electrifying sensation of the flow against her skin warmed her entire body and calmed her nerves, and she settled into him a bit more, closing her eyes.

"We only have a little ways to go," he murmured, a distant tinge tainting his voice, "and then we'll get Sasuke back." The proclamation startled her, if for but a second, and her breath hitched as he lowered his head to speak into her ear, "I promised you, Sakura-chan. I never go back on my word."

Accepting a hesitant nod as her reply, he allowed them to fall into companionable silence, the warmth radiating from his body coaxing her toward a dark, peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Ohayo gozaimasu! Indeed, it is a beautiful day!"

With an irritated swipe at her eyes to block light from reaching them, Sakura's consciousness slipped from one world to the next with a start as a chorus of voices interrupted her serene dreams.

"We traveled all night without sleeping so that we would be here on time! Isn't that right, sensei?"

An exasperated murmur from one Hyuuga Neji tugged harshly at Sakura's mind, forcing her to come to terms with reality with excessive force._I'm in enemy territory, I'm on a mission…Sasuke…Naruto..._

Shooting up into a sitting position, Sakura's sleep-hazed emerald eyes scanned her surroundings with a disoriented gleam as her brain cast off the fog of sleep and began to function properly. Each one of her teammates stood around her, their things packed away, ready to leave. Among them was now Gai's team, with Gai and Lee shouting back and forth at each other and moving through the interpretive dance that was their youth monologue, to the frustration of Ten Ten and Neji.

She had slept like a _baby_ last night…in Naruto's arms.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-chan!" Speaking of the blond. "You were sleeping so well, I didn't want to disturb you," he told her, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous gesture that implied something opposite of what he had just said. She knew, without asking, that they had almost gotten caught sleeping so close together. Of course, she knew that her former sensei might've drawn the wrong conclusion; that wasn't what worried her. It was more so the fact that someone else would know about her relationship…and she wasn't sure she was ready for that just yet.

Some vague, distant part of her hadn't quite let go of Sasuke.

_Ridiculous,_ she thought, brushing the thoughts aside as she clambered out from under the warm blanket, to the immediate protest of her shivering body. With haste, she packed her bedding away and stood to leave, knowing her team had been waiting on her.

"Ano, fuzzy brow, aren't you tired after not sleeping?" Naruto questioned, glancing at his dark-haired friend as they set off into the canopy of trees.

"Of course not! The power of youth keeps me going, no matter the circumstances! I would not be a truly splendid ninja if I could not overcome such small obstacles such as sleep deprivation!" Lee proclaimed with pride, clenching his fist as if to emphasize his point.

With a sigh, Sakura smiled inwardly at her friend's usual antics, enjoying the displeased expressions of his comrades as they rolled their eyes and the prideful gaze of Gai as he admired his student.

Although the daunting abyss of black from the previous night had given way to streams of light cascading onto the forest floor, the distinct feeling of unrest permeated the atmosphere, despite Lee's attempts to lighten the mood. Sakura could sense Ten Ten's anxious glances toward Neji, who in turn kept an observant eye on her and the immediate atmosphere. With his byakugan activated, he would be able to detect any approaching threat...yet the fact remained that seeing a threat and the possessing the ability to counter it were two different things.

According to Kakashi, in less than eight hours the two opposing forces in this fight would meet at a predestined location, where a slight exchange of dialogue might escalate into immediate battle. Their former sensei hadn't yet informed them of their true mission objectives; a no-holds barred fight between two of their most formidable enemies didn't seem to Sakura like a sensible thing to allow. However, throughout the day when she inquired about it, he would send her a blank stare, as if he were staring straight past her, lost in his own thoughts, and after two occasions of this happening she dropped the matter. They would find out soon enough.

"They're coming," Neji announced in his silky, monotonous voice, gesturing in separate directions with both hands to indicate from where each enemy would arrive. "We have approximately ten minutes before they arrive."

"Conceal your chakra," Kakashi instructed, the eye unobscured by his mask hardened in resolve. The younger ninja obliged him at once, leaving the surrounding atmosphere with a sensation of emptiness as they approached their targets.

Naruto's clear, oceanic eyes caught hers for half a second, shouting and yet whispering, saying everything and nothing at all. 

_We're coming...Sasuke!_

:.I know, it's still too short. I'm terrible with chapter length, guys. Please bare with me. Of course, thank you for reading the third installment! I'm very happy with everything so far, which is surprising in my case. I usually start to get bored after the second chapter. (I have a short attention span.) However, I'm very excited about this story, and I have many ideas. Of course, you, as the readers, can make suggestions as well.: 


	4. The Nightmare Begins

.:Awakening:.

..:Chapter Three:.:The Nightmare Begins:..

"Byakugan!"

Beyond the horizon, a scale of colors splashed across the sky from orange to red to purple, announcing that the end of their three-day journey fast approached. Furrowing his brow in thought, Naruto's eyes glanced back and forth every few seconds, between the path ahead and Hyuuga Neji to his left. His older comrade's eyes glared straight ahead, palpable veins pulsing beneath his skin as he engaged in his kekkei genkai, seeking out their guests in the far distance.

A heavy silence engulfed them as he searched, the group of eight slowing their pace subconsciously as they awaited the answer to Gai's most recent question.

"I can see four figures…one of them is badly injured."

Badly injured? Who could that--

"That must be the jinchuuriki," Kakashi announced, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. "Which means…"

"Orochimaru," Lee announced.

"Kabuto," Sai added.

Sakura finished. "And Sasuke."

The finality of his name silenced the group once more, their footsteps seeming heavier to Naruto as they continued onward through the trees, which grew denser with each foot of ground they covered. At this point, the group of eight had separated into twos, and Naruto found himself toward the center, next to Sai. Although the pale-skinned boy was not Sakura, he felt vestiges of comfort circulating through him with anybody he knew--and trusted--by his side.

"There's more," Neji stated abruptly, his toneless voice giving no hint to the most recent development. "There's four Akatsuki. Uchiha Itachi is among them."

A violent shiver surged through Naruto, and he could sense Sakura's tensed muscles from several feet away. None of the others displayed any semblance of emotion, their eyes focused and their minds undoubtedly wandering to what used to be the Uchiha clan heir. Naruto's mind conjured visions of his emotionless, depthless eyes, crimson and dotted with black. The disturbing Itachi had forced him to see returned as well, along with the overwhelming swell of guilt in his heart. Fighting off the surge of emotions, Naruto refocused on the path ahead, noticing that Kakashi and Gai were slowing their pace.

The two jounin lighted on a tree branch several feet ahead, motioning that the others should follow suit.

"We'll remain here for now," Kakashi informed them as each of his comrades landed beside him soundlessly. Neji's colorless eyes still watched the events unfolding in the distance, leaving the other shinobi around in the dark due to his silence.

Painfully tense, Naruto eyes Neji for several minutes while listening to his former sensei speak. "The two groups won't waste time on formalities. When they converge, the battle will begin immediately. Naruto?"

Upon hearing his name, the blond blinked and jerked to face Kakashi, attempting to focus on the older man's instructions. He found it hard to concentrate, with the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and…Sasuke…so close. He could almost smell the potent, sickening scent of the snake sannin's chakra.

"Are you listening, Naruto? We are to stay here for now. We have specific instructions not to interfere with this battle unless absolutely necessary."

Shock overwhelmed the younger ninja, his blue eyes widening as he stared into Kakashi's uncovered eye for an explanation. "What?! You've gotta be kidding! There's no way I'm going to sit here while _Sasuke _and _Orochimaru_--"

"Those are your orders from the Hokage," Kakashi chastised, cutting off Naruto's protests. "Do not interfere."

"How're we supposed to know what's going on? The only one who can see anything is Neji!" Naruto protested, gesturing wildly at the dark-haired shinobi and the direction of the imminent fight. "What if Sasuke needs us? What if we can't get there in time?!"

Obvious irritation grew in Kakashi's exposed eye, and he was about to further reprimand the blond when Sakura interrupted with a gentle command.

"Be patient."

At the sound of her quiet, desperate voice, Naruto closed his mouth, folding his arms over his chest and sinking down to his knees on the tree branch. He felt defeated somehow, knowing that Sakura and Kakashi were right and they were helpless. Not if the Hokage herself had issued them such a specific order.

But when would be the time to step in? What could they do in such a vulnerable situation? For once, he kept his burning questions to himself, glancing every few minutes to the pink-haired kunoichi to his far right. Her emerald eyes never faltered from the immense forest ahead of her; it was unlikely she could see or hear the fight taking place in the distance. Naruto was certain she felt as helpless as he did, if not more so. However, she wouldn't dishonor orders from Tsunade, no matter how much her heart would ache to stand by, useless.

"They're approaching the clearing," Neji offered, his entire body still as he concentrated on the events unfolding. "Uchiha Sasuke's restraining the injured girl, but she looks unconscious." He paused. "The shark one is conversing with them."

_This is ridiculous! We can't even hear what they're saying! _Naruto screamed in his head, internally seething.

Discerning the young ninja's discomfort, Kakashi assured him, "We'll move a little closer once their attention is diverted. We don't want to be detected just yet."

Understanding dawned. _He's waiting for them to rip each other apart._ When the battle was nearing a close, they would move in, eliminating the weakened members of the group with little resistance. This battle was the sort of break Konoha had been waiting for; both sides would rip each other to shreds, and they would scrape up the remains once they were finished.

"What about Sasuke?" Naruto whispered, a grave weight settling over his chest. His breaths came in long, sparse intervals, his mind reeling with this new information.

"We won't interfere," Gai reinforced, his face set into a hard frown as he gazed onward to where the meeting took place, "under any circumstances."

A flood of anger engulfed him, his vision tingeing with crimson as he turned on the emotionless jounin. "And what if Sasuke dies?! Isn't that why we're here in the first place?!"

Gai clamped a hand over his mouth, his rigid fingers cold against the blond's lips. "Our primary objective is to take out who we can of the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and his followers. Second, we are to attempt to retrieve the jinchuuriki and Sasuke. But they are not our focus. Do you understand?"

Furious, Naruto offered a single nod, and Gai removed his hand. He felt a vile wave of sickness rising in his stomach…if it came down to it, Sasuke might die.

He caught a glimpse of a single tear sliding down Sakura's cheek. She realized this, too.

"It's starting," Neji avowed.

The rigid intensity of the atmosphere thickened as seven pairs of eyes surveyed the pale Hyuuga, sensitive to his every movement, intake and exhale of breath. Time slowed to a stop; a bead of cold sweat halted in its path down Naruto's neck, and a tangible aura saturated the air surrounding them, leaking into his throat and threatening to choke him. He could bottle the thick, tense fog.

"Let's move closer," Kakashi suggested, and Naruto could only just contain the sea of emotions raging inside him as they leapt from their tree branch and again moved through the dense forest.

In a swift movement, Sakura moved to his direct right, her slender, delicate hand grasping his tightly for an extended moment before dropping it and offering a reassuring smile. In his chest, Naruto's heart pounded as if it might break his ribs, his eyes drinking in the sight of the kunoichi he loved trying to console him. Her eyes shone with recent tears, her silky pink hair fluttering wildly around her as she soared from branch to branch. A harsh breeze swept through the forest, creating a patch of color on Sakura's cheeks. Her beauty and perfection overwhelmed him, and he swallowed the hurt and anger that had plagued him, instead seizing the feeling of warmth that Sakura radiated. He had always loved her. Could he possible love her any _more_ now?

"Sakura-chan…"

Pressing her finger to her lips, she gestured toward the others, and he understood at once, though he felt a wave of uneasiness sweeping over him. When would she want the others to know? _We can't keep this a secret forever._

As they edged closer to the clearing, taking refuge in the thick brush several feet away, Naruto could just make out the figures that were battling ardently; it seemed the Uchiha siblings were lost in their own world, testing their taijutsu for the moment. Orochimaru's slave, Kabuto, performed an unknown jutsu one of the Akatsuki with light, slicked back hair. Orochimaru himself took on the shark-like Kisame and the "playful" Deidara, his neck extended like a snake, true to his name.

"The festivities are in full swing here," Gai murmured, motioning for his team to stay close to him. "We'll have to wait until things die down. Lee, you remember what I told you?"

"Yes sensei!" Lee whispered, his dark eyes attentive to the ongoing fight, his body tensed for an action unknown to Kakashi's team. "I am ready!"

"Good. There will undoubtedly be a few casualties from this mess. When either side prepares to retreat, we must move in. Understood!"

"Yes, sensei," his team responded, one more enthusiastic than the others.

"Follow their lead," Kakashi instructed to his own three teammates, and they each settled in near Kakashi to watch the battle unfold.

Sakura gripped Naruto's hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze every few minutes when he fought to keep control. The "festivities," as Gai had called them, were brutal and difficult to stomach standing on the sidelines.

Orochimaru lashed out at Kisame, posing as a distraction for his next jutsu, which summoned a pillar of serpents to burst up from the ground, trapping the ill-tempered man in their grasp and squeezing him tightly. His Samehade pulsated, tearing through the serpents and freeing him from their taught hold. His yellow eyes flashed with malice as he unsheathed his massive sword, rushing for Orochimaru as Deidara summoned a clay bird, which he could use to gain leverage over the snake sannin. It flapped its hard wings and rose into the air, and Deidara dug into his pouch for another handful of clay just as Kisame swung at the snake's neck.

Cringing as Orochimaru summoned chakra to his neck to repulse his attacker, Naruto deliberated who he would want to be successful in this fight. Both sides had caused Konoha immeasurable suffering, not to mention the affliction each wrought on their individual group. He decided, as Deidara summoned a bizarre creature to attack Orochimaru and flung Kisame backward by the snake's chakra, that he would rather see Orochimaru fall first.

A gasp sounded from his right, and he followed Sakura's gaze to watch Uchiha versus Uchiha, their bodies still as their eyes locked with each other's. A hint of a smirk twitched on Sasuke's pale lips, but Itachi didn't appear any worse for wear as a single finger on his right hand contracted inward. The smirk abruptly fell from his brother's face, and Sakura's fingers tensed in his hold. Their fight, by far, was most difficult to watch. They might as well have been back where they were, feeling useless and depending on Neji for information.

Eyes darting among the raging fighters, Naruto almost missed the limp figure sprawled on the dirt, her left hand visibly missing from her body. The young jinchuuriki lay motionless on the ground, her pale skin gleaming off the dimming sunlight in the distance. Darkness approached at an alarming rate, and Naruto felt apprehension creeping into his heart at the sight of the small girl, forgotten amidst the dispute. He felt as if he knew her, though he'd never seen her before; perhaps she had underwent the same fate as he had all her life, living alone, exiled for reasons she might never comprehend. How many people had died because of the demon inside her? Had her village taken out their animosity for their deaths on her?

Stealing his attention, Kabuto secured a substantial hit to Hidan's spine, causing the taller man to sputter drops of blood and stumble to his knees. The ruthless medic nin rushed in for the kill, using his technique to stop Hidan's heart. Defeated, Hidan collapsed at Kabuto's feet, and the man smirked as he performed several hand signals and extracted a thick scroll from the air. The scroll absorbed the former Akatsuki's body, and, satisfied with his work, Kabuto joined his master against Kisame and Deidara.

_One down, six to go._

A whisper echoed in Naruto's ears as he drank in the conflict, eager himself to join in and do _something_. _**Go on, Naruto-kun. Take my strength. Fight.**_

Going rigid, Naruto wrestled the urge to take the Kyuubi's advice, his grip on Sakura's hand tightening to a painful degree. In an attempt to comfort him, she whispered in his ear, stroking his hand with her thumb, her voice pleading, "Calm down, Naruto. We have to follow Tsunade-sama's orders. We can't fight yet. It'll be all right. We'll get Sasuke."

Responding with a single nod, Naruto forced his body to relax, shoving the Kyuubi's voice into the far recesses of his mind. He couldn't afford to lose himself at a moment like this; they would have to wait until the battle died down, as much as it killed him to watch.

Kabuto occupied Deidara, leaving Orochimaru to Kisame. Both groups knew that the shark man was no match for the snake sannin on his own, and their suspicions proved correct when he propelled the Samehade into the dense forest, leaving Kisame open for an attack. Wincing as Orochimaru's neck stabbed through Kisame's abdomen, he felt bile rising in his throat--especially when the snake's jutsu of extending his chakra left the other man's body motionless. Orochimaru abandoned him in favor of Deidara. Two Akatsuki were down, which left the odds in Orochimaru's favor, to Naruto's dismay.

Itachi and Sasuke were darting back and forth once more, engaged in hand to hand with ferocious intent evident in their every attack. Before, Naruto didn't believe it possible for his best friend to grow any stronger in taijutsu, but the spectacle proved him wrong. Itachi slashed at Sasuke's arm, narrowly missing the younger Uchiha's abdomen, but Sasuke returned the attack with a gash of his own across his brother's shoulder. The two fell back, mentally assessing their injuries before diving in again, their figures a blur to those observing several yards away. Although Sasuke could hold his own, his movements began to slow by fractions while Itachi lost no vigor or stamina.

"We have to do something," Naruto entreated, hoping his sensei would relent.

Shaking his head, Kakashi disagreed. "No. We will not interfere."

Clutching his free hand into a fist around his blonde hair, Naruto gritted his teeth and forced himself to wait, his eyes swimming in crimson as the battle progressed. Kabuto faltered against Deidara, the clay molding nin sending waves of explosives raining down on his oppressor. Orochimaru forced them to retreat a ways, molting out of his body and sneering as Deidara pursued them. As the snake prepared a jutsu in his newer form, Kabuto met with Deidara, dodging his next upsurge of attacks and intending to strike.

Naruto knew soon that the next member of Akatsuki would fall.

.::I know it's been FOREVER since I updated this story, but I don't want to give up on it. I think I can manage things better now that I can start updating again, if anyone's still willing to read. I feel a little out of it, though, so if you sense anything off about this story, let me know.


	5. Monsters

.:Awakening:.

..:Chapter Four:.:Monsters:..

Crouched behind the brush and clutching the hand of her beloved friend--and, after the most recent events, someone she would consider more than a friend--Sakura's horrified emerald eyes observed the scene unfolding before them, Akatsuki versus Orochimaru and his followers. With every passing second, the members of Team Kakashi and Team Gai grew more tense, hating to witness such a horrifying event yet powerless to help.

However, what scared Sakura most was not the battle raging before her, but the nin by her side who seemed to be struggling to maintain his composure. His once ocean blue eyes glowed a violent red, and his fingers twitched in her grasp as if they physically ached. Desperation flooding her mind, she prayed internally to Kami that he could contain his urge to kill and hold back the desires of the Kyuubi.

_Come on, Naruto. Don't give up on me now._

Tearing her eyes away from the struggling nin, she assessed the clash of enemies several yards away, eyes widening as Orochimaru and Kabuto strained against Deidara and Kisame. At the moment, it appeared that Kabuto had the upper hand against Kisame and would possibly deliver the final blow any moment now.

Yet as the thought entered her mind, shock dawned on the kunoichi as she glimpsed a deadly blow from the Samehade connecting to Kabuto's back. The medic nin staggered several steps forward, doubled over and coughing in harsh breaths as splatters of blood sprayed from his lips. Satisfied with the blow, Kisame's features twisted into a demented smirk, stalking toward Kabuto, ready to strike once more. Sakura could detect his sword pulsing with life even from such a distance, knowing that the great sword user intended to suck away all of Kabuto's remaining strength with this last blow. Sensing his approach, Kabuto straightened and leapt away with incredible speed, summoning chakra to his fingers as he surprised Kisame from behind, intending to make contact with the shark-like man's abdomen. However, Kabuto's reflexes had slowed from his recent injury, and Kisame dodged to the left, twisting behind him and pulling his great sword in a wide arc until it converged against the medic's spine, succeeding in sucking the remaining energy from Kabuto's body. Astonished, he had no time to react, the force of the impact sending him to skid across the clearing on his knees.

With horrid fascination, the ninja observing from far away tensed in discomfort as the sword's bandages began to unravel, revealing the glowing length of the scaled blade. Its owner stalked forward, his expression ablaze with victory with his eyes trained on his prey.

Dark, frantic eyes searched the surroundings for some sort of means by which to escape, but no option appeared to him before Kisame's final blow rained down on Kabuto from overhead. Sakura glanced away with a strange bile rising in her throat as the fellow medic's eyes blackened to charcoal, his soul slipping from one world to the next. Although she had harbored a deep-rooted distaste for Kabuto, the shark man seemed to have struck a personal blow for killing him.

Opponent defeated, Kisame seized the opportunity to venture into the center of the clearing where the young jinchuuriki rested, still unconscious during all this turmoil. With a jovial grin, he flitted toward her motionless body unopposed.

Orochimaru, still engaged in a heated conflict with Deidara, glimpsed the shark man attempting to capture the girl and reacted with great speed, performing the ritual to summon a vast demon to defend the girl. The unsightly beast manifested before their eyes, engaging Kisame and providing a distraction as Orochimaru's attention returned to the clay-controlling nin.

Though his comrade was fighting off a rabid beast, Deidara allowed a slight grin to overtake his features, knowing that the weight of the battle had shifted in favor of the Akatsuki. One hand reached into the depths of his supply of clay, drawing out something special for the mouths on his hands to mold. The snake sannin's fingers blurred as they formed several signs, and Sakura could scarcely discern his next move as he rushed toward Deidara, who was still astride a clay bird. A vast explosion erupted seconds later, and Kisame rushed into the fray, Rashomon growling in his wake, as the cloud of smoke slowly cleared.

Eyes narrowing into squints, the young kunoichi attempted to detect any sign of movement within the fog, which had taken on a purple shade. However, a horrifying sight distracted her from Orochimaru--Itachi had achieved a brutal strike against his brother, knocking the younger Uchiha several paces away. Sasuke remained on his feet, his wrist wiping a trickle of blood from a cut on his lip as he surveyed his enemy with calculating eyes. The older brother returned his gaze, though his red-tinged gaze remained devoid of any emotion. A millennium elapsed in five seconds as the two Konoha teams spied upon the scene, the tiny hairs on the back of Sakura's neck standing at attention as silence pounded against her ears.

At long last, Sasuke darted forward, a kunai concealed under his left wrist as his intent flashed in his crimson eyes. Yet his reflexes had slowed by a dangerous amount, and the older Uchiha stole the opportunity to strike his weakened brother. It became evident in the lack of force applied in his blow that he had no faith in his brother's abilities, the measured attack pitching the pale nin backward against the rugged bark of a nearby tree, thus rendering the younger Uchiha defenseless against his Mangekyo.

Sakura wanted to cover her eyes rather than watch Sasuke undergo rigorous torture in a matter of seconds, yet she continued to look onward, restraining the tears that burned behind her eyes.

To her relief, Sasuke summoned the strength of his own Sharingan, bursting free from Tsukuyomi's effects. Itachi displayed no outward surprise as having his attack cast aside so quickly, though both members of the Uchiha clan showed signs of physical wear, their breathing become labored as they clashed once more in a heated battle of taijutsu.

Tearing her concentration from the war between brothers, she examined her companions, Naruto in particular, noting that though his eyes still blazed bright red, his grip on her hand had slackened enough that it no longer caused her pain. _At least that's one less thing I have to worry about._

Just as she considered this, a deadly blow brought one of the fighting nin too close to their location, and at once they retreated into the brush, Kakashi and Gai issuing a whispered command to the others that they should retreat from sight until the battle ceased. Naruto's brows furrowed into a deep frown after the two jounin had delivered the order, his bloodshot eyes glancing at Sakura as if she could convince them otherwise. In response, she shook her head once, though she herself felt a deep ache in her heart. The battle had been rough to witness, but she knew that each of them would rather watch than be at a safe distance.

Regardless, orders were orders.

Gai selected a tree that towered over the clearing several hundred feet away, one which provided a scarce view of the fight raging below. The younger nin settled onto several branches high into the air, squinting into the dense thick below in hopes of seeing the clash that continued in their absence. Neji engaged his byakugan at Gai's command, which afforded him a prime view of the scene. He murmured short observations to the others, detailing the remainder of the fight that they had missed.

"Are you ready, Lee?" Gai questioned, his gaze focused on the clearing but his voice firm and directed at his protégé.

"Yes, sensei!" came his eager reply, his fists clenched and his body rigid with anticipation. Confused, Sakura studied his stiff, charged demeanor, hoping beyond hope that whatever tactic he had prepared would not be necessary.

Gai's hand rested on Lee's shoulder as he considered his student for several minutes, their eyes locked on each other as if a silent conversation were passing between them. Neji's murmured details of the fight became background noise to this exchange, and Sakura glanced toward Naruto, wondering if he had noticed it as well.

His eyes, having returned to their natural shade of blue, told her everything. Although he had suppressed the Nine Tails for the moment, his temper still had not calmed enough to put her mind at ease.

With a cursory glance to make sure no one watched, she closed the distance between them with three steps, grasping his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. His body relaxed, his shoulders sagging a bit as he squeezed her hand. Sakura tried to draw in the comfort of the warmth that emanated from his fingers, though she found it difficult while watching Neji murmuring about the fight and Lee glaring straight ahead as if prepared to strike at a moment's notice.

Last night seemed so far away to her then, with a fight on the immediate horizon weighted with the prospect of losing Sasuke forever.

It killed her to think that Naruto felt the same way, except that his hope for the Uchiha's survival was purely platonic, while Sakura still found her hopes laced with the childhood fantasies that she would be with him. Her heart bled for this debacle she had brought upon herself, tangling her emotions with Naruto's obvious affection while still concealing unrequited ardor for another.

_Unrequited_, she mused to herself, _as in, "never going to happen." _

Why, for once, couldn't she be in charge of her own heart? She felt so stupid and naïve for ever showing up on Naruto's doorstep in the middle of the night. Although, at the time, she had convinced herself that the Uchiha would be far from her mind from the day onward…of course, that was before she knew she would be seeing again so soon.

_So what, you only like Naruto when Sasuke's not around? That's pathetic, and you know it. He deserves better than that. He deserves better than _you_. _

Overcome by guilt, Sakura tugged her hand from Naruto's grip, turning her head and refusing to meet the perplexed stare he would cast her for pulling away.

"Sakura-chan--"

"Something's happening," Neji warned, his voice wary. "Orochimaru's side is retreating."

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, pounding his now unoccupied fist against the branch below him. "What are they doing? Why the hell would they leave?"

"They're cutting their losses," Neji explained, his voice monotonous once more. "Kabuto is badly injured, Sasuke is spent, and Orochimaru's body is deteriorating."

_Badly injured? I could've sworn he was dead…_

"Sasuke won't leave this fight!" Naruto protested, raising his voice and not caring who might hear. "He'll stay, won't he? There's no way he'll pass up a chance like this."

Sakura closed her eyes tight, sighing. "He's worn out, Naruto. I'm sure he knows he can't defeat Itachi like this."

Although she could sense that he wanted to protest, he clamped his mouth shut, clenching his fists as he battled with his inner demon and his own desire to rescue his best friend.

After a long silence engulfed them, he huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "We gotta get Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei. We can't let him leave. Not again."

All of them detected the subtle "I" that should have replaced the "we" in his statements. Losing Sasuke again was a personal defeat for Naruto, even if he'd had no hand in the decision to let him go. His eyes blazed as he focused on his teacher's face, remaining motionless while awaiting a response.

Kakashi sighed. "He will not come willingly, Naruto."

"So what? I'll kick his sorry ass and drag him all the way back to Konoha if I have to. We can't let him get away now! We're so close that it's driving me crazy!"

_I know how you feel._

After debating Naruto's words in his head, their sensei's expression changed, and Sakura knew that he wanted Sasuke back as much as any of them. "The Akatsuki are retreating as well. When they're gone, we'll follow Orochimaru's group…but I'm warning you," he added, his stern gaze resting on Naruto's overexcited one, "our goal will capturing the jinchuuriki, _not Sasuke_. Focus on recovering that injured girl. And if we succeed, we're counting on Sakura to heal her."

The kunoichi nodded once, confident in her abilities despite the poor girl's fragile appearance.

"We're depending on the ugly one?" Sai mumbled, just loud enough for the others to hear. Naruto and Sakura glowered at him, and he cringed under their harsh gaze.

"We'll wait until the Akatsuki have gained enough distance, and then we'll follow," Gai instructed to his team, as if Kakashi's instructions had not been clear enough. However, the other jounin pretended as if he had not heard. "The four of us will engage Orochimaru. The medic should already be incapacitated, which leaves Sasuke to Team Kakashi. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei," Neji, TenTen, and Lee replied, some more enthusiastic than others.

"With these kinds of odds, we're sure to get Sasuke-teme back!" Naruto exclaimed, reverting to his old nickname for his best friend. Sakura couldn't help but smile at his antics, a strange urge overcoming her to reach out to him. It was a familiar thing because this same urge had driven her to his home that night, yet it still felt foreign to her.

Perhaps it was because Sasuke was so close. Her heart was torn between an old, childish crush and her newfound spark for Naruto.

It was much more than a spark, however. Without a doubt, she loved Naruto, but how much and in what way were the most difficult facts to discern. As she observed the excitement he exuded and his energetic gestures, she felt her heart clench with such a strong emotion as she had never experienced before. Yet when her thoughts drifted toward Sasuke…

_No. I have to let him go._

_Even though Naruto deserves better, it would be worse to leave him than try to make him see reason._

After all, if he had held onto his apparent love for her for nearly three years, she knew it was not an affection to be taken lightly. Perhaps he loved her…yet it was also possible that his devotion could be nothing more than what she felt for Sasuke--a long-winded but fragile crush. Maybe, once he'd had enough of her, he would come to his senses and realize that she was not at all what he wanted.

He might even get a clue and realize why Hinata suffered from chronic fainting spells in his presence.

Was it wrong for her to hope against that possibility?

"How long, Neji?" Gai asked, breaking her train of thought. She felt grateful for the interruption, returning her attention to the focused Hyuuga on a branch below hers.

His shoulders were rigid, his eyes trained on some unknown point in the far distance. He inclined his head a bit, as if straining to see something, and after several agonizing minutes, he replied, "They're out of range."

"Let's move," Kakashi ordered, and all eight of them sprang from their respective limbs, following behind Neji as he led the way to Orochimaru…and Sasuke.

Desperate for any sort of comfort, Sakura longed to stretch her hand toward Naruto and grasp his, but restrained herself, feeling the intent gaze of Kakashi and Sai boring into her back. Naruto flew past her, positioning himself as close to Neji as possible without surpassing him. He leapt from tree to tree with careful, restrained movements, giving away his desire to speed ahead of them and reach the Uchiha and the snake sannin first. However, he threw short glances over his shoulder every few minutes, not quite meeting Sakura's gaze each time. She began to sense the concern bleeding through his excitement, though she couldn't be sure what his concerns consisted of. Was he anxious about the fact that he would once again be challenging his best friend in battle? Or could it be something else, something Sakura had hoped from the depth of her soul that he wouldn't even consider?

Judging from her past experience with his reactions, she knew that the upcoming fight was not what plagued his mind. Though often rash in his decisions and possessing of a naïve outlook on life, Naruto was not completely clueless. Sakura feared that he knew of her inner struggles, remembered the eyes she used to have only for Sasuke, and dreaded the fact that she might return to those affections the moment Sasuke was playing for the right team again.

She desired nothing more than to crush his anxiety, wanting to be sure that even if she _did_ still possess deep feelings for Sasuke, she would not take up her immature infatuation with him and deny the obvious love that was budding between her and her other teammate. The past few nights marked the point of no return, or so she told herself.

_I will not hurt you. I will not betray you._

Just as she attempted to close the gap between them, Neji announced in a whisper that they had come upon their targets. This was it. Ground zero.

"Get ready!" Gai commanded as the two teams split apart. Neji led Team Gai to the left as Team Kakashi followed Naruto to the right, and Sakura prayed that Naruto would be able to retain his delicate control over the demon long enough to suffer through the battle. With Kabuto down (and dead, as Sakura understood it) and the other two nin at their critical chakra levels, she also prayed that their strength would be enough.

By now, she could detect their life forces in the distance, and the two teams were closing on them faster than they were escaping. Their pace had increased, which meant that Orochimaru and Sasuke knew what was coming for them. Sakura's heart pounded in against her ribcage as they drew closer, and she couldn't help but recount her last encounter with the Uchiha.

It had been his final rejection, and the pain of the memory still haunted her nightmares on occasion…his cold black eyes, his disdainful glare, and his simple technique that had knocked her out cold. If only she had been stronger then, had trained harder, had not gotten so caught up in the fact that he was touching her to defend herself, then perhaps she wouldn't be chasing after him now, attempting to pry him away from Orochimaru's tenuous hold.

Yet at the same time, she might never have discovered her true feelings for Naruto. Her thoughts were bitter and divided between reprimanding herself and trying to see some good in the situation.

They were closing the distance more quickly with every leap and bound, and Sakura forced herself to focus on the chakra that she sensed, on how low those levels were compared to what she had expected.

"They're very weak," she murmured, more to herself than to the others though they heard her just as well.

The grinned leaked through Naruto's words. "This fight will be easier than we thought!"

The trees began to thin around them, affording them a view of another small clearing up ahead. Snatches of bright sunlight caught her eyes, and soon enough she could see beyond the ring of brush, noting that the retreating forms were now stationary. They were choosing to stand and fight, knowing that inevitably the two teams would overcome them before they could escape.

Sakura did not want to underestimate them despite the low readings she sensed on their chakra levels. As she dashed across the edge of the forest into the small opening ahead, she analyzed their stances, taking in first Orochimaru and then Sasuke. His expression shocked her so much that she halted in her tracks, allowing the others to pull ahead. His eyes were so cold, yet blank, exactly as she remembered them from three years ago. A slight breeze touched his silky black hair that still framed his face, playing at the opening to his loose white robe. Familiar purple cords were tied around his waist in an elaborate bow, and this single detail was what made the comparison complete. He had changed so much, resembling Orochimaru more than his own self.

Drinking in this sight, she wanted to scream in frustration, to sprint toward him and punch him as hard as she could, to slap his pretty face and leave her hand imprinted on his delicate cheek in red. But more than anything, she wanted to drop to her knees and cry--she was twelve years old again, staring into the face of someone who would always be far superior to her, who would never give her the time of day.

She was at a loss for what to do, her body numb as she moved forward to join her teammates and engage him in battle. Team Gai rushed the snake sannin as planned, and she heard the ground give way as Lee and Gai cast aside several ankle weights in favor of speed. Their team synchronized flawlessly with one another, and for several seconds she tore her eyes away from Sasuke to watch their coordinated movements, mesmerized.

Yet she couldn't be distracted for long.

Naruto and Sasuke glared at each other, seven or eight yards at most separating them. A silent argument ensued, where Sakura could see the physical exhaustion in Sasuke's eyes as Naruto pleaded with him to come quietly and he fought with his inner will to stay away. Judging from the state both he and Orochimaru were in, if it came down to a fight, Konoha had the obvious upper hand. As Neji had observed before, Orochimaru's body was not in any condition to be battling four ninja, especially not a team so lethal as the one he was facing. It wouldn't be long before he fell, or attempted to escape with Sasuke. He would never leave behind his prized possession.

The snake sannin would have to die, and even then Sasuke might not agree to return.

_But who said anything about it being his free will?_

Naruto reacted instantly, as if he had heard Sakura's thoughts, charging toward Sasuke and summoning a kage bunshin to being the formation of rasengan.

The true battle had begun.

.::As a side note, for the purpose of this story, I am replacing the vessel of the eight-tailed Giant Ox with an OC. Not that I have anything against Killer Bee, but I would rather use an OC for this purpose. Don't worry, she doesn't have a major role. Also, I am assuming that the missionLastly, this story obviously does not conform to the anime/manga. It is not strictly canon, though I tried to take as many elements from the actual story as possible. Obviously this battle shifts the entire storyline in a new direction, and I will take what knowledge I have to sort of formulate a resolution that fits with this particular plot and loosely adheres to what actually happens. Hopefully that makes sense. That said, if there is any kind of dissension you notice in my plot, or plot holes, etc., then please let me know. I'm terribly sorry that this has taken so long, so hopefully there are still a few of you out there willing to read it. :-)::.


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